In the tyre business, tyre removing machines are known designed to remove a tyre, fitted with a rigid inner run-flat ring, from the relative rim.
Known tyre removing machines of this sort normally comprise a turntable rotating about an axis; a self-centring clamping device for clamping the rim and relative tyre on, and coaxially with, the turntable; and a hub coaxial and integral with the turntable. Known tyre removing machines of this sort normally also comprise a tool column located alongside the turntable, parallel to the turntable axis, and having a number of hydraulic jacks for operating respective tools, which project towards the turntable from the tool column, and are designed to act on the tyre to detach the tyre beads and rigid inner ring beads from the relative flanges on the rim, and to insert, between the rim, on one side, and a tyre bead and corresponding rigid inner ring bead, on the other, one or more levers by which to move said two beads axially outwards of the relative rim flange.
Known tyre removing machines of the type described have various drawbacks, on account of the tools projecting from the tool column and so transmitting turning moments to the column which tend to bend the tool column outwards. In the case of a tyre fitted with a rigid inner ring, the forces applied, having to act simultaneously on two side by side beads (the tyre bead and the rigid inner ring bead), are much greater than those applied to a tyre with no rigid inner ring, and tend to produce uncontrolled outward movement of the tools, thus resulting in incorrect use of the tools and, most likely, damage to the tyre and/or rigid inner ring.